Lubricating-oil heater



g R. w. BERGSTROM LUBRICATING-OIL HEATER Filed April' 17'. 1925' ogi iatentecl Aug. 23, 1927.

DEED STTES i eti fifi PATENT OFFifiE.

RALZH \V. BERG-STROKE, 0F ROCKFORD, ILLINOIS.

LUZBRICATING-OIL HEATER.

App1ication filed April 17, 1926. Serial No. 102,810.

inis invention relates to a means for heating the hihricating oil whichis circulated to various bearings of an internal combustion engine, andmore particularly is concerneo with a device for this purpose which maybe conveniently installed and connected up for operation.

It is common practice in the design of an automobile engine to employ apump for circulating oil to various hearings or other points wherelubrication is needed. For this purpose an intake pipe is arranged inthe crank-case usually close to its bottom, for taking oii therefrom tothe pump. In order to keep out impurities which may have gotten into theoil a fine mesh screen is commonly provided adjacent the intake where'by to filter the oil entering thereinto. These severai components in alubricating system may perform satisfactorily under ordinary conditions,but in cold weather the operation is not so good. This is due to thetendency of oil to congeal and even freeze at low temperatures, with aconsequent failure or inability to flow. Freezing usually results fromthe presence in the oil of an appreciable amount of waterwhich mustalways be reckoned with. It is my object in this invention to provideadjacent the intake within the crank case a heater which will quicklyraise the temperature of the surrounding oil to a point at which it willreadily flow to the pump, thus assuring a proper lubrication for theengine. Such a heater, as I have designed it, is inexpensive to make, isunitary in character and hence easy to install, and requires noattention in service.

An eXemplific-ation of my invention in a preferred form is set forth inthe accompanying drawing in the manner following:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary vertical section adjacent the crank casebottom of an internal combustion engine:

Fig. 2 is a horizontal section therethrough taken on line 2 2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a view in elevation looking toward the outer end of the heaterunit as it appears when applied in place; and

Fig. 4 is a view showing the location of the heater appliance relativeto certain associated parts of an automobile engine.

My heater per se may be in the form of a casting having a head plate 5adapted to overlie an opening of suitable size in one wall 6 of thecrank case relatively close to its bottom. Extending inwardly from thisopening is a strainer element which, as shown, consists of a tube 7having at its outer end an outturned flange 8 which may be fittedbetween the wall 6 and casting head 5. Interposed between this flangeand the crank case Wall 5 is a gasket 9 providing a seal when thecasting is tightened in place as by means of stud bolts 10. The strainerelement is formed in part of a screen material 11 through which oil inthe crank case may be filtered.

Extending inwardly from the head of the casting is a U-coil 12 whichoccupies space interiorly of the strainer element. The casting head alsoprovides a mounting ior an intake pipe 18 which lies intermediat-ely ofthe two branches of the U-coil. These parts -the intake pipe andU-coilare mutually s *mmetrical to each other and to the strainerelement by which they are enclosed, and this relationship is assured bythe fixed mountng of the pipe and coil on the head plate which in turnoccupies a fixed position upon the crank case wall which also affords amounting for the strainer.

Upon the outer side of the plate connection may be made to the intakeand coil, the former being joined by a tube 14 to an oil circulatingpump 15. To one end of this coil a connection 16 leads to the engine eX-haust pipe 17, while the other coil end may have a connection (notshown) which leads the exhaust back into the pipe 17, or whichdischarges the exhaust directly into the a mosphere. If desired a valve18 may be placed in the connection 16 to shut off the heater whentemperature conditions render its operation unnecessary.

Among the advantages which inhere n my invention is a high efficiency inoperation due to the fixed position of its components in a structure ofunitary character. The heat is delivered close to the intake and to thesurrounding strainer whereby oil in the immediate vicinit is thermallyaffected quickly. In a very s iort space of time any frozen oil will bethawed out with the consequence that proper lubrication is assured tothe engine. At no time need any attention be paid to the heater. ltsinstallation is simple indeed, and requires only the insertion through ahole of proper size in the crank case of the heating coil and intaketogether with the usual strainer-the device may then be operated withknowledge that iii its components interiorly of the crank case are inproper relationship for all time.

I claim:

1. A combined oil heating reservoir and strainer for the crank case ofaninternal combustion engine comprising, a head plate adapted forattachment to the crank case, an oil intake and an exhaust heater coilmounted on said plate, an impertorate cylindrical reservoir carried bysaid plate and surround ing said oil intake and exhaust heater coil, anda strainer carried by and enclosing the free end of said cylindricalreservoir.

2. A combined oil heating reservoir and strainer for the crank case ofan internal combustion engine comprising, a head plate adapted forattachment to the crank case, an oil intake and an exhaust heater coilmounted on said plate, an imperforate cylindrical reservoir surroundingthe major portion of said oilintake and exhaust heater coil, and acylindrical strainer member carried by the free end of said reservoir.and enclosing the remainder of said oil intake and exhaust heater coil.

R. W. BERGSTROM.

